Hand held projectile launcher with light source

ABSTRACT

A hand held projectile launcher comprises an elongated handle having a gripping portion at a first end and a projectile holding unit at a second end. The projectile holding unit is sized and shaped to releasably receive a projectile. A light source is provided on a surface of the projectile holding unit that contacts or is exposed to the projectile, and a light switch is optionally provided on the gripping portion and is capable of controlling operation of the light source. When the light switch is activated, the light source directs light onto a projectile held in the projectile holding unit. The projectile may include a phosphorescent or similar component so that it becomes luminescent when charged by the light source.

PRIORITY

The present application claims the benefit of domestic priority based onU.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/416,739 filed on Nov. 3, 2017,the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

For as long as there have been items to throw, people and their petshave been playing fetch. The game of fetch involves the act of launchinga projectile, such as a ball, and the subsequent retrieval by acompanion, or pet, animal. This activity provides entertainment andexercise for both the animal and its owner.

By using a phosphorescent projectile, the fetching activity can beperformed during twilight hours and in darkness as the light emittingphosphorescent projectile once launched can be more easily located bythe owner or pet. However, phosphorescent projectiles, such as glowballs, require charging prior to use by brief exposure to a lightsource. After exposure the phosphorescent projectile can remain glowingfor hours.

Recently, it has become common to use a hand held launcher for launchingthe projectile. An example of a hand held ball launcher is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 6,076,829, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety. The ball launcher includes a half-spherical structure onits end that can engage and pick up a ball. This allows a user to pickup a ball without having to touch it and to easily launch the ball witha reduced amount of effort.

The necessary and repetitive action of charging the phosphorescentprojectile can be inconvenient. The ball must be stowed in a locationwhere it can be exposed to light. Thus, a pet owner may be preventedfrom stowing the ball and launcher in an otherwise convenient locationsuch as a cupboard or the trunk of an automobile. This drawback withexisting projectile launchers means that should the fetching activitytake place a long distance from the pet owners property, then theprojectile charging activity has to be performed using a separate mobilelight source such as a torch which is yet another item for the owner toremember prior to each outing.

Accordingly, there is a need for a projectile launcher that overcomesthe above shortcomings and provides a convenient way for both effectiveprojectile launching and charging phosphorescent projectiles.

SUMMARY

The present invention satisfies these needs. In one aspect of theinvention, a hand held projectile launcher comprises a built-in lightsource for use in charging a chargably luminescent projectile.

In another aspect of the invention, a hand held projectile launchercomprises an elongated handle having a gripping portion at a first endand a projectile holding unit at a second end, the projectile holdingunit being sized and shaped to releasably receive a projectile; a lightsource on a surface of the projectile holding unit that contacts or isexposed to the projectile when the projectile is held in the projectileholding unit; and a light control switch capable of controllingoperation of the light source, whereby when the light switch isactivated, the light source directs light onto a projectile held in theprojectile holding unit.

In another aspect of the invention, a hand held projectile launchercomprises an elongated handle having a gripping portion at a first endand a projectile holding unit at a second end, the projectile holdingunit being sized and shaped to releasably receive a projectile; a lightsource on a surface of the projectile holding unit that contacts or isexposed to the projectile; and a chargably luminescent projectilereleasably receivable within the projectile holding unit, whereby whenthe light switch is activated, the light source directs light onto thechargably luminescent projectile when held in the projectile holdingunit.

In another aspect of the invention, a method of playing fetch comprisesproviding an elongated handle having a projectile holding unit and agripping portion; inserting a projectile into the projectile holdingunit; activating a light control switch to cause a light source todirect light onto the projectile; gripping the gripping portion; andlaunching the projectile.

DRAWINGS

These features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention willbecome better understood with regard to the following description,appended claims, and accompanying drawings which illustrate exemplaryfeatures of the invention. However, it is to be understood that each ofthe features can be used in the invention in general, not merely in thecontext of the particular drawings, and the invention includes anycombination of these features, where:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a version of a projectilelauncher according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the projective launcher of FIG.1 in use;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view from the rear of the projectilelauncher of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a hand held projectile launcher. Inparticular, the invention relates to hand held projectile launcher witha built-in light source. Although the invention is illustrated anddescribed in the context of being useful for charging a phosphorescentprojectile, the present invention can be used in other ways, as would bereadily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, thepresent invention should not be limited just to the examples andembodiments described herein.

FIG. 1 shows a hand held projectile launcher 100 according to oneversion of the invention. The projectile launcher includes an elongatedhandle 105. The elongated handle 105 has a first end 110 with a grippingportion 115. The gripping portion 115 may include indentations 120 forreceiving the fingers of a user. Alternatively, the gripping portion 115may be smooth and/or may include a sleeve of rubber or the like tofacilitate comfortable and secure gripping. The elongated handle 105further includes a second end 125 with a projectile holding unit 130sized and shaped to hold a desired projectile. The projectile holdingunit 130 has a surface 135 that contacts or is exposed to the projectilewhen the projectile is held in the projectile holding unit 130.

In the version shown, the projectile holding unit 130 is sized andshaped to hold a ball 140, such as a tennis ball or the like, as can beseen in FIG. 2. The projectile holding unit 130 in this version has aconcave inner face 145 and a convex outer face 150. The concave innerface 145 is cup shaped and serves as the surface 135 that contacts or isexposed to the projectile which in this case is the ball 140. Theconcave inner face 145 is sized and shaped so that the ball 140 is heldwithin the concave inner face 145 until a throwing motion causes theball to be released from the concave inner face 145, as described inU.S. Pat. No. 6,076,829 which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. The projectile launcher 100 is constructed from a lightweight,flexible material such as polypropylene or other suitable plastic. Theconcave inner face 145 of the projectile holding unit 130 mayalternatively be sized and shaped to take the form of a recess suitablefor retaining a projectile of any shape and then release the projectivewhen the projectile launcher 100 is swung by a user. The concave innerface of the projectile holding unit 130 can thus be molded to form any3D shape with regular or irregular dimensions.

Referring again to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the projectile launcher100 of the invention is equipped with a light source 155. In the versionshown, the light source 155 is located in the projectile holding unit130 on the surface 135 that contacts or is exposed to the projectile insuch a way that the light is projected onto a projectile held in theprojectile holding unit 130. The light source 155 may comprise one ormore incandescent or fluorescent bulbs and/or one or more light emittingdiodes (LED's) or any other source of illumination, such as a laser. Theprojectile launcher 100 may also include a light control switch 160. Inthe version shown, the light control switch 160 is located on thegripping portion 115 of the elongated handle 105 at a suitable positionfor depression, sliding or other movement by the user's finger or thumb.The light control switch 160 may be positioned so that it is easilyreachable by a finger of a hand that is gripping the gripping portion.The light control switch 160 is connected by electrical wiring or thelike running either internally or externally along the longitudinal axisof the elongated handle 105 to a wiring housing unit 165 located on theprojectile holding unit 130. The wiring housing unit 165 is incommunication with the light source 155 on the surface 135 that is incontact with or exposed to the projectile when the projectile is held inthe projectile holding unit 130.

In one particular version of the invention, the projectile launcher 100may be used to launch a projectile that is itself luminescent orglow-in-the-dark. For example, the projectile may be chargablyluminescent. By chargably luminescent it is meant that the projectileincludes a material that may be charged by exposure to light or otherenergy so that when charged it emits more light than when it is notcharged. In one version, the chargably luminescent projectile may be aphosphorescent or pearlescent projectile that is capable of beingcharged and then becoming luminescent for a period of time. Examples ofsuch projectiles can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,445,551 in whichphosphorescent pigments are inserted into a ball and U.S. Pat. No.6,508,732 in which an outer fabric of a tennis ball is impregnated witha phosphorescent component, both of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties. When a phosphorescent projectile isengaged with the projectile holding unit 130 it is maintained in closeproximity and in a position so that it is exposed to the light source155 when the light control switch 160 when it is activated. When soactivated, the light source 155 directs light onto the projectile andcharges the projectile.

It is contemplated that engagement of the light control switch 160 by auser is necessary for only short periods of time. In one version,engagement of the light control switch for less than about 30 seconds issufficient to transfer light energy from the light source 155 resultingin illumination of the phosphorescent projectile. In this manner thepower of the energy source is conserved.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, an embodiment of the projectile launcher 100is shown which comprises a battery port 170 provided in the base of thegripping portion 115 of the elongate handle 105 for securement of adisposable or rechargeable battery to provide power to the light source155. A recharging port 175, such as a USB connector is provided as meansfor recharging the battery power source. It is contemplated that thebattery and recharging ports may be located on the base or any part ofthe elongated handle 105. The battery port 170 and recharging port 175of the version shown in FIG. 3 can be replaced with any other suitablepowering mechanism. For example, the recharging port 170 could beremoved and a conventional disposable battery or batteries, such asflashlight batteries, could be used. In another version, a rechargeableor disposable battery or batteries could be housed in proximity to thelight source 155. In yet another version, the recharging mechanism couldbe of a different type, such as a conductive or an inductive chargingsystem or the like.

Alternatively, in another version, the light switch may be omitted, maybe provided at a different position on the hand held projectile launcher100, or may be provided remotely. For example, in one version, the lightsource 155 may be continuously activated. In another version, the lightswitch 160 may be a switch that is responsive to something other thanmanual operation by the user. For example, the light switch 160 maycause activation of the light source 155 in response to movement of thehand held projectile launcher or in response to contact of a projectilewithin the projectile holding unit 130. In yet another version, thelight switch may be located separate from the hand held projectilelauncher 100 and may communicate with the light source remotely, such asby RF or infrared communication. The light switch 160 may remain in theon or off position until manually or otherwise moved into the otherposition, or the light switch 160 may be placed in the on or offposition and then automatically switch to the other position after apredetermine amount of time. In yet another version, the light switch160 is normally in the off position and is only in the on position whenbeing touched or moved to the on position. As soon as the touch or forceis removed, the light switch 160 returns to the off position.

The projectile launcher 100 in accordance with the present invention maybe used as follows. The projectile launcher 100 is held by a usergrasping the gripping portion 115. A phosphorescent projectile, such asa phosphorescent ball 140 is held within the projectile holding unit130. The user presses the light control switch 160 to provide anelectrical current to the light source 155 to thereby charge thephosphorescent projectile. The charged phosphorescent projectile maythen be launched so that it is illuminated in flight and when it lands.In this way, fetch can be played in dim light or in the dark and theilluminated projectile can be more easily found by the pet and/or by theuser.

The projectile launcher 100 with built-in light source 155 of thepresent invention provides a means for pet owners to conveniently andrapidly charge and launch phosphorescent or otherwise glow-in-the-darkprojectiles during play activities with companion animals.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detailwith regard to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions arepossible, and alterations, permutations and equivalents of the versionshown will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading ofthe specification and study of the drawings. For example, thecooperating components may be reversed or provided in additional orfewer number. Also, the various features of the versions herein can becombined in various ways to provide additional versions of the presentinvention. Furthermore, certain terminology has been used for thepurposes of descriptive clarity, and not to limit the present invention.Therefore, any appended claims should not be limited to the descriptionof the preferred versions contained herein and should include all suchalterations, permutations, and equivalents as fall within the truespirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hand held projectile launcher comprising: anelongated handle having a gripping portion at a first end and aprojectile holding unit at a second end, the projectile holding unitbeing sized and shaped to releasably receive a projectile, a lightsource on a surface of the projectile holding unit that contacts or isexposed to the projectile when the projectile is held in the projectileholding unit, and a light control switch capable of controllingoperation of the light source, whereby when the light switch isactivated, the light source directs light onto a projectile held in theprojectile holding unit.
 2. A hand held projectile launcher according toclaim 1, wherein the surface of the projectile holding unit is concave.3. A hand held projectile launcher according to claim 1, wherein thelight control switch is on the gripping portion.
 4. A hand heldprojectile launcher according to claim 1, wherein the projectile holdingunit is sized and shaped to releasably receive a ball.
 5. A hand heldprojectile launcher according to claim 1, wherein the projectile holdingunit is sized and shaped to releasably receive a tennis ball.
 6. A handheld projectile launcher according to claim 1, wherein the grippingportion comprises indentations for receiving the fingers of a user.
 7. Ahand held projectile launcher according to claim 1, wherein the lightsource comprises one or more incandescent or fluorescent bulbs and/orone or more light emitting diodes.
 8. A hand held projectile launcheraccording to claim 1, further comprising a battery port and a rechargingport.
 9. A hand held projectile launcher comprising: an elongated handlehaving a gripping portion at a first end and a projectile holding unitat a second end, the projectile holding unit being sized and shaped toreleasably receive a projectile, a light source on a surface of theprojectile holding unit that contacts or is exposed to the projectile,and a chargably luminescent projectile releasably receivable within theprojectile holding unit, whereby when the light switch is activated, thelight source directs light onto the chargably luminescent projectilewhen held in the projectile holding unit.
 10. A hand held projectilelauncher according to claim 9, wherein the surface of the projectileholding unit is concave.
 11. A hand held projectile launcher accordingto claim 9, wherein the chargably luminescent projectile comprises aball.
 12. A hand held projectile launcher according to claim 9, whereinthe chargably luminescent projectile comprises a phosphorescentcomponent.
 13. A hand held projectile launcher according to claim 9,further comprising a light control switch on the gripping portioncapable of controlling operation of the light source.
 14. A method ofplaying fetch, the method comprising: providing an elongated handlehaving a projectile holding unit and a gripping portion; inserting aprojectile into the projectile holding unit; gripping the grippingportion; activating a light source to direct light onto the projectile;and launching the projectile.
 15. A method according to claim 14comprising activating a light control switch to cause the activation ofthe light source.
 16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the lightcontrol switch is located on the gripping portion.
 17. A methodaccording to claim 14 wherein the projectile is chargably luminescent.18. A method according to claim 14 wherein the light source is locatedon the projectile holding unit.